Office Policies

How the Office Works

Our patients are seen by appointment. When you need to be seen, we will schedule you an appointment as rapidly and efficiently as possible. We do not like having you wait anymore than you like waiting. We triage all calls based on urgency and will do our best to get you a same-day appointment if needed, or to get you in within 24 hours if your situation is less urgent. We will make every attempt to schedule routine office visits with your personal physician because we feel that continuity of care is important. Pre-visit labs and/or other diagnostic tests are ordered on an individualized basis, and we will let you know if you should do anything before your visit.

Emergencies will be given priority. Please explain the nature of your problem to our receptionist so she can make the proper appointment.

If you cannot keep an appointment, please give us at least 24 hours notice so another patient may use that time.

It is important to understand how your body works and the nature of the medical problem that brings you to the office. We will spend time during your visit to explain your medical problems and how they are affecting your body.

Privacy of all patients is very important to us, and we will do our best to guard this. To this end, we prefer that individual family members are seen alone with a physician, starting with junior high school age kids. With the patient’s permission, we may speak to other family members when necessary. Likewise, release of information to insurance companies, schools, employers, and other specialists will be provided only with your permission.

Phone Calls
The doctors see scheduled patients all through the day and usually cannot be called away to talk to patients on the phone. The medical assistants are trained to handle your phone questions initially, and will provide advice, offer an appointment, or consult a physician as needed. They may recommend that you come in for an appointment. If you must speak with a doctor and do not need an appointment, the doctor will usually try to return your call that evening or the next day.

Email Communication
Longs Peak Family Practice has a secure Practice Portal available to patients (see LPFP Patient Portal on Home and Patient Resources pages). Physicians forward appropriate patient communications and diagnostic results to the portal. An email communication is performed each time a result is forwarded to the portal. Physicians do not allow incoming email consultations or emails at this time. Too much can be lost or misinterpreted with electronic dialogue, so we prioritize verbal interactions and face to face communication regarding patient questions, concerns, and consultations.

Medications
Medication will be prescribed with care and only for good reason. When you are asked to take a medicine, please follow the directions carefully. Take all the medicine in the bottle unless it is prescribed on as “as needed” basis. NO medication will be prescribed without an in-person evaluation in the office. When you come to the office, bring any medication you are taking with you. Medication refills are handled within 3 business days. Controlled substances will be refilled for no more than 5 days in the absence of your PCP.

Lab
We draw blood for lab tests, check blood pressures, and provide other services such as strep tests, etc. by appointment only. You do not always have to see a physician for some of these services, but please call ahead of time to check this.

Fees
This office operates on a “fee-for-service” basis. The cost of medical care is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the time required to deal with your problem, the number of problems, the complexity and chronicity of your problem(s), the cost of materials and equipment, diagnostic tests ordered, and the risk of your problem(s) and of the medications used to treat the problem(s).

You will get a receipt at the time of your office visit. You may save this for tax and insurance purposes.

Any insurance you have is a contract between you and your insurance company. Unless you have coverage with an insurance company that we have a contract with, we will bill you for our services, not your insurance company. It is your responsibility to collect reimbursement from your insurance company. There is no way for us to know whether or not your policy will cover a particular problem or service, so please call your insurance company and review any questions you may have regarding your explanation of benefits with your insurance provider. Some insurance plans do not pay for physical exams or preventive care. We will provide information for you to give to your insurance company if you request this. You are ultimately responsible for payment of services.

Feel free to discuss any questions about the cost of a service with us. Our receptionists can answer your questions about fees. We believe our fees are fair and just.